Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: July 2, 1964
Cover: October 1964
12 cents
Excitingly written by: Stan Lee
Exquisitely drawn by: Dick Ayers
Extravagantly inked by: Paul Reinman
Emotionally lettered by: Art Simek
14 pages
The cover hints at a significant change to the title, but we’ll save discussion of that for the next post.
We begin with Giant-Man throwing a temper tantrum and kicking out his fan club. Wasp complains he’s scaring way their fans. She uses the phrase, “our fans”, but all the signs say “Giant-Man”, never “Wasp”.
This series is weird about secret identities in multiple ways. They sometimes act like they have secret identities that are important to protect. Other times, they seem pretty nonchalant about it. For example, Wasp calls him “Hank” in front of the fan club.
We met Lee Kearns in Tales to Astonish #44. He was Ant-Man’s friend and ally at the FBI. They seemed to be setting him up to be a regular. They even gave him a full name. But we never heard from him again. Until this issue. He’s been captured in East Germany. Hank goes into a rage, describing Kearns as the “bravest and most patriotic” man he’s ever known. I think this is the last time we will ever see Lee Kearns.
Hank also mentions his dead wife, Maria, for only the second time. The first was again in issue 44. It seems like somebody just read that issue for the first time and decided to revive the plot points.
Wasp suggests Hank call the Avengers. He notes there is no time for that, but he does have time to relate the story of his wife’s death to Wasp. The recap sticks close to the story we learned last time. The added detail is that she had been a freedom fighter in Hungary. She was previously described as a political prisoner. Hank hints to Jan about the mental breakdown he had; the previous comic had described it more explicitly.
Wasp decides his feelings for his dead wife are the reason he seems so unromantic at times, and the reason they are not yet married.
Giant-Man’s powers are ill-suited to espionage; fortunately he is also comfortable being Ant-Man, but he is very insistent people call him by the proper name depending which power set he is using at the moment. Powers aside, he begins by putting on a hat and trenchcoat over his costume. He’s a terrible spy.
When he tracks down Kearns, Kearns learns Ant-Man and Giant-Man are the same person. He is shocked, despite allegedly being a close friend of Ant-Man’s. Despite the fact that Ant-Man and Giant-Man both partner with Wasp. Despite the fact that they have the same costume. One can’t imagine they’re the same person because Ant-Man has the power to shrink and grow, while Giant-Man can grow and shrink.
Kearns had been captured for discovering the new Soviet secret, that they have a device which makes apes intelligent. Giant-Man must battle the Commie Apes.
When he’s done, he smashes through the Berlin Wall. As Reagan would say, “Giant-Man, tear down this wall!”
We hit July 1964 a few posts ago. I had meant to take a peek around the newsstand for the month. So let’s do it now and see what catches my eye. Ah. Dell gives the Beatles their first comic special. The Beatles will be showing up in our Marvel reading soon enough…
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 51/100
Signficance: ★★☆☆☆
Uncertain it’s that good a story, but it’s got Soviet apes. Not really sure what else I might be looking for in a story.
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man vol. 2. You can find the story in Ant-Man/Giant-Man Epic Collection vol. 1: The Man in the Ant Hill. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Giant-Man/Henry “Hank” Pym
- Wasp/Jan Van Dyne
- Maria Pym née Trovaya
- Lee Kearns
Story notes:
- Maria Pym had been Hungarian freedom fighter. She was captured and killed on their honeymoon in Hungary.
- Pym hints at the mental breakdown he had when his wife died.
- Ray turned Soviet military into mental gorillas.
- End note solicits opinions on Hulk comic.
#241 story in reading order
Next: Tales to Astonish #60, Story B
Previous: Fantastic Four Annual 2, Story C
